Finland's Lassi Lappalainen dribbles the ball during a Euro 2020 qualifying match against Liechtenstein on June 11, 2019.ARND WIEGMANN/Reuters
The Montreal Impact have acquired Finland international midfielder Lassi Lappalainen, with options to extend his loan through the 2020 MLS season.
Montreal’s loan agreement with Italian club Bologna FC 1909 is guaranteed until Dec. 31, using targeted allocation money.
Lappalainen, 20, joins the Impact after finishing atop HJK Helsinki with six goals since the start of the 2019 season, scoring three regular-season goals, two goals in the UEFA Champions League and one in the Finnish Cup.
The six-foot, 175-pound Lappalainen previously played with Finland’s Rovaniemen Palloseura in 2017 and 2018, scoring a combined 12 goals in 39 regular-season games and three goals in five Finnish Cup games.
At the international level, Lappalainen has two assists in five games with Finland.
The Impact (9-11-3) have lost four in a row in MLS play to slip to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. Montreal hosts Philadelphia on Saturday.
“We want to reinforce our team for the end of the season with an offensive player, giving us more options on the left flank of attack,” Impact head coach Rémi Garde said in a statement. “He’s a player with technical diversity, who has a large volume of play at high intensity. Despite his young age, he’s shown that he can score and provide assists. We’ll place him in the best possible conditions to help him adapt to Montreal.”